20 Disturbing Facts About The Human Body You'd Probably Be Better Off Not Knowing, As Shared In This Viral Thread

The standard answer to being asked, "what you up to?" is usually "not much." When in reality, your body is "up to" a lot, hundreds, if not thousands, of things and biological processes, even when you are deep asleep. So the next time somebody asks you that, and you have nothing exciting to say, reply with, "oh, just contracting my atria and ventricles" or "just destroying my blood cells, you know, the usual." Because you kinda are, in fact.  It's really fascinating how little we know about our bodies. At the very moment of reading this article, there's so much happening inside you. Yet, we humans are a strange lot. Instead of learning about the bland biological side of things, we are drawn to something that will send shivers down our spine. So when someone on Reddit asked, "What is the most disturbing fact about the human body?" thousands of people delivered the most interesting yet deeply unsettling facts. Scroll below to learn more about the human anatomy, and let us know if you've heard any of these facts before. And when you are done, check out more random disturbing facts here, here, and here! More info: Reddit

#1

Image source: WaywardRush169, camilo jimenez You can die of a broken heart. you can have your heart broken and become ill to where your body goes into survival mode and can shut down major functions.

#2

Image source: MNPhatts, freestocks Pregnant women if injured, the stem cells from the womb will go to damaged organs and rebuild them to protect the baby.

#3

Image source: StrebLab, National Cancer Institute An estimated 60% of cancers arise from non-modifiable risk factors. In other words, they are not due to any lifestyle choices and they are not preventable.

#4

Image source: finester39 Stomach acid is very powerful, it would burn right through us if we didn’t secrete mucus every few hours.

#5

Image source: calladus A third to a half of all fertilized ovum do not result in a viable pregnancy. They are expelled as a “heavy period” instead. Most women don’t even realize that they miscarried.

#6

Your body replaces cells as they mutate or die. However, much like a photocopy of a photocopy, the replacements are a little less perfect each time. Around the age of 28, you are no longer replacing cells effectively. What that means is after the age of 28, approximately, you are actively in the process of dying because your cells are being destroyed faster than they can be replaced and the replacements are more and more imperfect each time. Image source: Terrami

#7

Image source: Ordell9 You develop cancerous cells every day. But your immune system deals with it. EDIT: Usually.

#8

Image source: Ghost_Creation_ There’s enough copper in your body to make a pair of headphones.

#9

Image source: squatter_ I noticed this after my abdominal surgery. When I turned over in bed my guts seemed to fall from one side to the other. Mentioned to my doc and she confirmed it was my bowels rearranging themselves.

#10

Image source: KingZaneTheStrange, suparna sinha Humans are deuterostomes. Meaning as embryos the first thing to develop is an opening that will eventually become the a**s. So at one point, you were nothing but an a*****e

#11

Image source: anima99 The brain will protect itself even if it means misery to you or death. Inhaling smoke in the middle of a burning house? Brain will make you stop breathing and pass out. Stuck in the middle of a cold place? You will fall asleep to conserve energy and never wake up again. Does your brain need more oxygen? You faint in the middle of a busy road. Had your leg torn off by a bear? Here's adrenaline so you can save your brain even if there's a huge risk of infection or further injury. Is your brain experiencing too much stress? It will make you drink alcohol or resort to drugs. You and your brain work together most of the time, but when push comes to shove, you are sacrificed.

#12

Image source: Afraid_Department_51 The head can be twisted around about three and a half times before coming off.

#13

Image source: Color_Wasted It’s possible to develop tumors with hair, teeth, and even eyes. They are called teratomas.

#14

Image source: spookypinkchic Period cramps are essentially your womb suffocating itself. To get the uterine lining out of your womb during your period, your uterus has to contract. Sometimes, when the contractions are stronger, your womb squeezes its blood vessels so tight that oxygen can't reach them, which sends pain signals to your brain (ouch). But wait, there's more – this process increases your production of chemicals called prostaglandins, which encourage more contractions of the uterus. There really is no mercy.

#15

Image source: Soggy_Willingness_65 Scientists once took a swab of the inside of an American man’s belly button to observe the bacteria that lived there. They found bacteria previously only known to exist in Japan. The man had never traveled outside of the U.S. So you never know what other country’s bacteria you’re carrying in your belly button.

#16

Image source: PucWalker Your butthole and your mouth originate from the same cell grouping during development, but the butthole cells form first, then the mouth cells from them. That means your mouth is from your a*s.

#17

Image source: Beowulf33232, Adrian "Rosco" Stef You have a spine and support system meant for traveling on four legs. Basically, we've all got bad backs.

#18

Image source: Diamond-Fist, Joel Ambass The brain chemistry is stable enough to last thousands of years if not diseased, it's the rest of the body that kills us.

#19

Image source: HaunSolo24 A female is born with every egg they'll ever release from the ovaries. Therefore, a pregnant woman who is carrying a female child is also carrying the eggs of her grandchildren.

#20

Image source: deepsoul13 Your fingers and toes have no muscles. All the muscles that control them via tendons are in your forearms/hands and lower legs/feet. Your fingers are like puppets on strings. Sweet dreams. *Fixed, yes forgot about the muscles in the palms/feet. No actual muscles inside the fingers/toes themselves though.